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I got a HR34 installed last month and want to return it to get an HR24 instead, because the HR34 evidently does not live buffer when off unlike the HR24 or even my old HR21 (eg. allow you to go back 90 minutes on that channel that it was last on, when you turn it back on from standby).

I spoke with a nice lady who transferred me to retention (not sure why retention) and she said that they could give me an HR24 for $99 (or give me a credit if i bought through solid signal since DTV can guarantee that i'd specifically get a HR24 from them), BUT I would not get any refund for the return of my HR34, which I paid ~$250 for after credits.

This doesn't feel right to me...is this typical DTV policy (what is their actual policy when you get a new receiver & are not satisfied)? I simply want to swap down to the HR24 since the 34 is lacking a feature that I expected to have, but I feel like that I should get a refund for returning the HR34 which I've only had for 1 month.

Any suggestions or advice on how to proceed? I still just want the HR24, but if I didn't get a refund on the HR34 it would effectively cost me 250+99 which is absurd (I still have my HR21 boxed up and about to return to DTV)

As far as I know, once activated, there is no refund. Suggestion: leave it on and turn the lights on the front panel off if it they bother you, until the software gets fixed. Doesnt use any more power on than it does in standby.

As far as I know, once activated, there is no refund. Suggestion: leave it on and turn the lights on the front panel off if it they bother you, until the software gets fixed. Doesnt use any more power on than it does in standby.

I don't believe that it is broken. You are correct though as there aren't any refunds once activated.

I got a HR34 installed last month and want to return it to get an HR24 instead, because the HR34 evidently does not live buffer when off unlike the HR24 or even my old HR21 (eg. allow you to go back 90 minutes on that channel that it was last on, when you turn it back on from standby).

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Why shut it off then. If its that important,instead of going though all this, just leave your receiver on.

Historically, all that turning a DirecTV DVR off has done is mute the outputs. It really hasn't turned the receiver off. You want to get back to that way of operation. In that case, just leave it on.

If you don't want blue lights playing, use the trick of holding down on the right arrow button on the faceplate while punching the left arrow button. All the blue lights will go away. The DirecTV logo does stay lit.

The HR34 does a lot more than the HR24. Because of its design, it doesn't have the live buffer both you and I like. To me, its positives greatly outway this one negative, and the work-around of leaving the receiver on seems perfectly sensible to me.

so let me see if I get this straight, you paid an agent to look for a house for rent, you moved in and pay the agent's fee (DirecTV lease fee). now you decide you want to move out because you dont like the way the kitchen looks. are you expecting to get the brokers fee back just because you jumped the gun? this is my analogy and I am sticking to it.......

Ya a lot of us will find this odd that you would want to replace the 34 with a 24 but to each their own. The work around the others have mentioned would be your best option (IMHO) then the hassle of going through D*'s CSR's or having a truck roll.

5 tuners
PIP
Bigger HDD
those are the thinks that (to me) make the 34 more "worth" the hassle!

Or just record the things you want to watch instead of relying on randomly stumbling across something on the channel the DVR happens to be on when you turn on the TV.

If you know there is something you would like to watch, this is true. Although sometimes I will turn on the TV and its in the middle of a program. After watching a minute of it, I find it interesting. I then press record and go back and watch the whole program.

If you know there is something you would like to watch, this is true. Although sometimes I will turn on the TV and its in the middle of a program. After watching a minute of it, I find it interesting. I then press record and go back and watch the whole program.

If you know there is something you would like to watch, this is true. Although sometimes I will turn on the TV and its in the middle of a program. After watching a minute of it, I find it interesting. I then press record and go back and watch the whole program.

Odds are that show you're watching is going to be re-broadcast, you can just record it then.

Odds are that show you're watching is going to be re-broadcast, you can just record it then.

To the OP... I agree with the others, leave it on until it's fixed.

That may work for you and others, but not typically for me. I watch a lot of sports and network programming and I may turn my TV on during a program like Dateline. If its ever on again, its months later and it peaked my interest right then. I don't want to have to keep checking to see if they are going to rerun it. Or try to watch it online through Hulu. So that's one reason why I do leave my HR34 on all the time. The other reason is so when I sling on my Android, I don't have to turn it on.

Are the added features worth more than 'sometimes'?

Not sure what that question actual means, but I do think the added feature would be worth having all the time. Had it with my cable DVR years ago, lost the buffer and double play when I switched to DIRECTV. Enough people griped about it and we now have both working perfect on our HR20 ->HR23. It would be nice if the HR34 worked the same way, but its not critical. As I've stated in other posts, I just leave my DVR on and I have the buffer I want.

I'm not saying that either of you should want it. Just understand that there are others that would like it to work the same as the prior DVR's. And we have explained why.

That may work for you and others, but not typically for me. I watch a lot of sports and network programming and I may turn my TV on during a program like Dateline. If its ever on again, its months later and it peaked my interest right then. I don't want to have to keep checking to see if they are going to rerun it. Or try to watch it online through Hulu. So that's one reason why I do leave my HR34 on all the time. The other reason is so when I sling on my Android, I don't have to turn it on.

Yeah, network TV would be the exception. Both of your points are valid and I agree that buffering in standby needs to be fixed. It does work sometimes, just not every time. That, and the fact that all the other HR's have it, tells me it should work all the time. Why have something that only works some of the time?

I'm not saying that either of you should want it. Just understand that there are others that would like it to work the same as the prior DVR's. And we have explained why.

Oh I definitely want it to work like it should. I was just providing workarounds until it's fixed.

Yeah, network TV would be the exception. Both of your points are valid and I agree that buffering in standby needs to be fixed. It does work sometimes, just not every time. That, and the fact that all the other HR's have it, tells me it should work all the time. Why have something that only works some of the time?

Oh I definitely want it to work like it should. I was just providing workarounds until it's fixed.

People keep sayin this however I have a strong feeling that it's not considered broken.

Is there a way to set the remote so that the OFF button in the upper right controls only the TV and not the receiver? Something tells me the OP is not likely to move the slide switch to TV and press the PWR button.

If it works part of the time it's meant to work all of the time. It's broken.

Maybe it buffers sometimes because specific things don't happen and it doesn't buffer others because specific things do happen. Maybe this is by design and so therefor it's not considered broken. So if it never buffered at all when you turned it off or it went into standby would you consider it not broken then?